Athletic Commission: Delay in disclosing Anderson Silva's anti-doping test is unacceptable

Spider test (photo) took place on January 9th. Photo: Josh Hedges/UFC

The anti-doping test that caught Anderson Silva for the use of anabolic steroids was carried out on January 9th, but its results only came to light on Tuesday night (03), three days after the Brazilian had won Nick Diaz at UFC 183. The 25 days between the test and the release of the results prevented the Nevada Athletic Commission, the body responsible for regulating MMA fights in Las Vegas (USA), from taking any disciplinary action before Anderson stepped into the Octagon . Athletic Commission director Bob Bennett commented on what happened and classified the slowness of the process as unacceptable.

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“The time lag (between testing and release) is unacceptable. We made an agreement with the responsible laboratory to make sure we had the results within seven days, and they are working hand in hand with us on this”, said Bennett, in an interview with the North American website “MMA Fighting”.

Furthermore, the director also regretted the case of Anderson Silva, but highlighted the entity's efforts, together with the UFC, to combat the use of illegal substances. “I think it’s very unfortunate. The UFC has made a tremendous effort to level the playing field in its fight against performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs). Credit goes to them for doing the right, principled thing, and they continue to support our efforts to conduct out-of-competition drug testing. You can't lose sight of all the other athletes who do what is expected of them and fight cleanly. The UFC deserves credit for supporting the PED challenge we currently have. It’s just unfortunate for all of us,” he concluded.

Found with traces of metabolites of drostanalone (an anabolic steroid used to reinforce muscle rigidity) in an examination carried out on January 9, Anderson Silva has not yet officially commented on what happened. The Brazilian, who returned to the octagon last Saturday (31) after more than a year away due to a serious fracture suffered in his left leg, will be judged by the Nevada Athletic Commission on February 17th.